IO-Link is enjoying increasing popularity, with demand for the communications standard growing rapidly, especially in the food and beverage industry.
The fieldbus-independent technology for point-to-point communication is easy to use and provides a cost-effective way to digitalize industrial plants, and Endress+Hauser, is leading the charge on IO-Link products for a large selection of process parameters.
IO-Link is regarded as an established standard for measurement devices with basic functionality, offering advantages such as data transparency and additional control through digital technology. Integrating IO-Link-capable sensors and actuators is especially popular with suppliers of machines or skids for the food and beverage industry. Particularly for utilities, devices with basic functionality are well suited; instruments with a rich set of different functionalities would unnecessarily increase complexity and costs.
“As a strong partner for process automation, we support our customers with IO-Link sensors in numerous fields of application,” says Rob Sips, Strategic Account Manager for the Group’s international business.
Analog signals and digital communication
The majority of the IO-Link sensors can be optionally operated in analog mode (4–20mA) with simple configuration changes to the instrument, thus allowing production workflows to remain in place. If extra information such as diagnostic and service data is required, in addition to the actual process parameters, an installed IO-Link-capable instrument can be simply switched to a digital signal.
“Although IO-Link is not the most powerful communications standard for process engineering, the technology is cost-effective and harbours tremendous potential for the digitalization of process plants,” says Oliver Hansert from Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions.
There is a wide range of process instrumentation with IO-Link technology for digital communication, like this one from Endress+Hauser.
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